Automatic button cutting and sawing machine.



No. 850,033. I PA TBNTED APR. 9, 1907. J. W. MILLER.

1 AUTOMATIC BUTTON CUTTING AND SAV VING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APB.29.1906.

4 SHEETSSHEET 1.

Witnesses Inventor. I by Attorneys PATENTED APR. 9, 1907.

vNo. 850,033.

J. w. MILLER. AUTOMATIC BUTTON CUTTING AND SAWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APILZQ. 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IIIII/I/I/IY/ Witnesses No. 850,033. PATBNTED Arms; 1907.

' J. w. MILLER.

' AUTOMATIC BUTTON CUTTING AND SAWING MACHINE. 1 APPLIOATION rrnnn APB.29.1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET .3.

Inventor,

PATENTBD APR. 9, 1907;

v J; w. MILLER. AUTOMATIC BUTTON GUTTINGAND SA-WING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR-29, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Inventor,

Attorneys UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. MILLER, OF HUSCATINE, IOWA, ASSIGNOR ()F TIlRlClC-FlF'lHS TO THE MCKEE AND BLIVEN BUTTON (.OMPANY, OF MUbCATlNlC. lOWA, A

PARTNERSHIP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 9, 1907.

Application filed April 29, 1905. Serial No. 258,084.

To (1 71 whomit may concern: 4

Be it known. that 1, JOHN W. MIL ER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Muscatine, in the county of Muscatine and State of Iowa,'hav e invented a new and useful Automatic Button Cutting and Sawing Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for cutio ting buttons and 'similar'ci'reular blanks or disks from shells or the like, its principal object being to provide a machine in which the Working capacity is materially increased, a single Workman being able to accomplish the r 5 same amount of work and with less ell'ort than three or four workmen provided with machines of the usual character.

A further object of the invention is to provide abutton or disk cutting-imichine with means for supporting the material during the cutting operation.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a button or disk cutting machine of the crown-saw type in which a shell or similar article is .posltively held and advanced toward the saws by automatically-operated mechanism.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a machine more or less automatic in its nature and of such construction that in the event of the saw remaining inoperative owing to the nature oi the shell, the condition of the saw, or for any other reason the breaking of any part of the mechanism will 3 5 be prevented.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a machine in which the work clamps or holders may be moved outward from the machine in convenient position for the adjustment of the shell or other article to be cut.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a machine ofthis type in which the work-clam s are moved automatically to a 5 substantially vertical position to permit inspection of the shell by the workman as the s tell is being adjusted in the clamps.

A still'fnrther object of the invention is to provide a novel form of Work clutch or clamp 5o'that will automatically conform to irregu larities in the shape of the object to be clamped.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a machine of this type in which a pair of work-clamping jaws are so arranged that one of them may be moved from a positionin alinement with the saw or other operative position to an inoperative position for readjustment of-the shell.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear. the invent-ion consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts here'- inat'tcr; fully described. illustrated in the accompanyiug drawings. and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions. size. and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a blank or disk cutting machine constructed in ac cordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view illustrating more particularly the construction of the work-clamps and the cuttingsaw. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the stationary cam for advancing the work-clamps and for adjusting the clamps to inoperative position. Fig. 5 is a development of the cam. .Fig. 6 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1, illustrating a modified construction of machine. Figs. 7 and 8 are sectional elevations of the same on the line 7 7 and 8 8, respectively, of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a detail view of one of the work-engaging clamps. Fi 10 is adetail view of the tool employed or removing the crownsaws from their carrying mandrels or spuns.

Similar numerals of reference are employed 'to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings. I

In the cutting of button blanks and disks from various n1aterialssuch, for instance. as shells-it is usual to employ a crown-saw that is rotated while the shell is held by the hand of the workman, the output of a single machine being limited by the cutting speed of the saw and the thickness of the shell.

In carrying out the present invention the output of a single machine is very materially increased by providing means for supporting theshell during thecutting operation and by providing means for automatically feeding the shell with respect to the saw, or vice versa, so that the duty of the workman con to a vertical position, so that the workman may carefully inspect the inner face of the shell without ditliculty.

The working parts of the apparatus are secured on a suitable frame 10, including a pair of standards 11, having bearings for the reception of a horizontally-disposed shaft 12, to which are secured two sets of disks, one set of disks 13 and 14 serving as supports for the cutting members, while the second set of disks 15 and 16 serve as supports for the complementarywork-holding devices.

The disk 14 is prm'ided with bearings or guides for the reception of sleeves 17, of which there may he any munber four of such sleeves beingshown in the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, and the inner ends of said sleeves project for some distance beyond the inner face of the disk 14 for a purpose hereinafter described. The outer end of each sleeve is provided with a threaded periphery on which is mounted an adjustingscrcw 18, which by engagement with the outer face of the disk 14 limits the inward m vement of the sleeve 17. The sleeve forms a journal for one end of a hollow shaft 19, the opposite end of which is received within a bearing-opening formed in the disk 13, and on each of the shafts is a pulley 20, around which extends a driving-belt 21, the latter passing also around the driving-pulley 22, mounted on a counter-shaft 23, that is driven from the main shaft of the machine in any suitable manner. Between the inner face of the pulley and the hand-nut 18 is a helical compression-spring 24, tending normally to hold the sleeve 17 inward, with the face of the nut against the outer face of the disk 14. The outer end of the hollow shaft 19 is recessed for the reception of an antifrictionball 26, that bears against an adjustable disk 27, forming a thrustbearing for the shaft, and said disk may be adjusted by a screw 28,

which passes through a threaded opening in a cap member 29 at the end of the bearing.

The shaft 19 serves as a su port for a chuck 32, that is preferably in t 1e form of a tapered tube arranged for the reception of a crown-saw 33,-the latter being of the type ordinarily employed in machines of this class. Thetoothed end of the saw projects well beyond the inner end of the sleeve 17 and may be adjusted from time to time to compensate for wear.

The two disks 15 and 16 are provided with guiding-openings for the reception of longitudinally-movable non-revoluble stems 40, each of which is provided with a collar 41, and between the collar and the outer face of the disk 15 is a helical compression-spring 42, lending normally to thrust. the stem 40 outward or toward the right of the machine and serving at all times to maintain an antil'riction-roller 43 at the outer end of the stem in engagement with a stationary cam 44, that is secured to a standard 11.

The inner end of each stem 40 is provided with a pair of pivot-ears 45, to which is connected the work-clamp carriage 46. The carriage 46 includes a tubular body portion 47, from the outer portion of which projects an arm 48,. Fig. 3, that is provided with an opening for the reception of a cylindrical clamp 49. This clamp is provided at one end with a plurality of teeth 50, arranged to engage with theouter face of the shell to be a cut where the machine is intended to operate on mussel-shells, clam-shells, and the like, and as said articles are usually provided with regi'ilarly-curved outer faces the toothed end of the clamp is arranged in a lane oblique to the longitudinal axis of the c amp proper in order to follow the curvature of the shell. The clamp is provided with an annular shoulder or flange 50, which bears against one face of thearm 48, and said flange 50 forms a rest for one end of a compression-spring 51, the o )posilc end of which normally projects slight y beyond the toothed edge of the clamp and is in a position to form-a yieldable Support for the shell or other work before the toothed portion of the clamp firmly engages therewith. Within the clamp 49-is arranged a block 53, formed of wood or similar material, and the outer end of the block is engaged by a screw 54, extending through a threaded opening in the end portion of the clampto permit adjustment of the block as it wears away. This block is intended to come into contact with the crown-saw and to prevent passage of the blanks within the interior 'of the clam all of the blanks being forced to the interior of the crown-saw and delivered in the usual manner.

The tubular portion 47 of the carriage forms a guide for a rod or bar 56, the inner end of which is threaded for the reception of a nut 57, and surrounding the rod or bar is a helical compression-spring 58, that tends to throw the rod or bar rearward. To the inner end of the rod 56 is secured an arm 59, that is provided with an opening for the reception of a cylindrical work-clamp 60, the latter having an annular flange 61, that bears against the outer face of the arm, and being provided with work-engaging teeth 62, that make contact with the inner face of the shell and surround the field of operation of the. saw, and when the parts are in operative position this clamp 60 surrounds the saw and fits over the projecting ortion of the saw-mandrel 3'2, as will be evi cut on reference to Fig.3. Projecting from the rod 56 is a pin 63, which enters a slot formed in the outerend of a clamp- IIO . the atter may be grasped by the workman operating lever 64, that is fulcrumed on a pin 65, proiecting from the arm 48. This lever normal y occupies a position at a right angle to the horizontal axes of" the clamping members, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, and the outer-clamp 60 is held firmly against the inner face of the shell by means" of the spring 58. When the clamps are moved upward to the vertical or radial position shown in' Fig. 1, theouter clamp 60 may be moved from the dotted-line to thefull-line position awa from the inner face of the shell, so that and adjusted to osition for the cutting of another blank; his movement of the parts to present the inner face of the shell in a-position for convenient examination and adjustment renders it easy for the workman to operate the machine, and at the same time the articles made are much superior to those madebymachines of the ordinary class, for

- the reason that the workman is enabled to i select the best'portions of the shell to becut.

The lower or inner portion of the carriage 46 is provided witha pendent lug or ear 65, that 'ls connected by a link, 66 to a rod 67,

thatpassesthrough guiding-o enings formed" in the disks 15 and 16, and t e outer end of said rod carries an antifriction-roller 6 8, that is adapted toengagewith a cam 69, carried by the cam-disk '44 once during each complete rotation of the shaft 12. i

In the operation of the machine, theparts being in the position shown in Fig. 1, the right hand of the workman is supposed to be engaging in the position shown in full lines, while the left hand engages the shell for the purpose of adjusting the same into position beneaththe clamp 60, it'being observed that the inner face of the, shellis uppermost and may be minutely examined by theworkman. The

shell is adjusted on the yieldable support 51,

and=thelever 64 is gradually allowed to return .to the horizontal-position shown in dotted lines underthe influence of spring 58,

whereupon the clamping member I fiO-will move into engagement with the inner face of the shell, the spring 58 being of sufficient strength to compress the sprin 51 until theouter face of the shell rests firm y against the teeth of theclamping member 49'. During this release movement of the handle the clamp-carriage is 'allowed to move from-the vertical'position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 to the dotted-line position, the two clampln members thus assuming a position in axia alinement with the saw 33. The movement of the shaft12and the several'disks 13., 14, 15, and 16 ,which it supports, maybe accomplished manually or automatically, and in either case thedisks rotate from the operator or clockwise; if the machine be viewed from the right of Fig. 1. i V roller 41 strikes that portion of thestationary si'tionmay be vertical or at an ang the lever 64 andholding the same ing of the screw 28 serves not on As soon as the" cam represented by the incline a b of Fig. 5

the work-carriage is thrust in the direction of its length untilthe outer clamp 60 passes over the mandrel 32 and the parts assume the positions shown in Fig. 3, with the workclamp 60 in proper position and the saw ready to commence the cutting operation.

During further movement from the point I) to the'point c of the cam the carriagewillbe forced forward and the shell will be fed to the saw, gradually cutting a disk from, the shell, said disk being received within the saw in the manner common to machines of the class. The cutting operation will have been completed by theitime the roller 43 arrives at the pointc of the cam, and thereafter .a slight dwell occurs from the point e to the point d.

After passing the point d the roller begins to" descend the incline toward it,- and the spring 42 then acts to draw-the carriage rearward,

removing the clamp 60 wholly from the sawmandrel until the arm 59 is-clear of the teeth of the saw. A slight further move- .ment brings the roller 68 into engagement with the cam 69,'and as rod-67 moves'forward thecarria -e will be thrown outward .to. aposition radial of the shaft 12, and this povertical, inaccordance with the size of machine and he number of cutters and clamps which it carries. After passing slightly beyond the cam 69 theclamp is wholly under thecontrol of the "operator,

le to the the and he may shift the position of the shell for the'cuttin of another blank and then-turn 'be accomplished by any suitable driving mechanism. During the feeding movement of the clamps the arm 59 engages against the sleeve 17 and'the latterrs forced inward against the stress ofthesprin 54, while the saw 33 retains its position, there being nov lon itudinal movement of the saw except 'suc asmay be accomplished by the adjusthis permits the feedingof the workinward past the saw, and during the entire 0 eration the clamp member y as a work-holder, but-also as a-guard for reventing fragments of the shell flying an injuring the operator, and the clamp further acts as ail-additional support and guidefor the saw-mandrel. The saws employed are quickly dulled, and it becomes necessary to remove the same for resharpening. To accomplish this, the heads of the saw-chucks are provided with peripheral threads at a point beyond the tapered, sockets in which said heads are held. To remove a saw, a tool of the character shownin Fig. 10. is placed within the sleeve, 17. I This tool is cylindrical in form in order that it may fit over the chuck and has a female 100 the work-c amp down to the horizontal posil thread toengage the threaded portion 72 of the head of the chuck, and said tool is provided with a laterally-extending handle 73, by which it may beheld from rotative movement. The sleeve is inserted until the threads 72 ofthe rotating ehuck+head engage with thethreads-of said sleeve, and the chuck is thus gradually forced outward from its socket and removed. 1

In theconstruction shown in-Figs. 6, 7, and8 the corresponding parts at the left of the machine are designated by the same reference-numerals as in Fig. -1,and the construction of this'portion of the machine is prac' tically thesame as that shown in Fig. 1 with the exception of the work-clamp which.

intothe inner endof the sleeve 1'7 and isheld in place-by a screw or screws 75. The clamp being thus secured to' the sleeve 17 moves backward during. the; cutting: operation against the resistance-of the springt24 inor-' der that the Work may pass into contact with:

disk isprovided with hearingsfor the reception of! the unthreaded end-s ot a plurality of screws 80, the threaded portionsof which extend into female screws formed in revoluble members carried by the "disk 16 and each constitutingfa friction-pulleySl and a hand-wheel- 82, the latter employed for preliminary adjustment of the screws, while the friction-pulley is operatedby suitable means for feeding the screws forward during the cutting operation. The rear end ofeach screw is-.provi ded .with a head 83, which by engagement with the hub 0t the-pulley 81 1 for engagement with theblank to be. cut, and

' limits feeding movement of the screw, so

that the latter cannot move beyondv a predetermined distance, this distance being: eater than the thickness of any ordinary s elli or other material from which the blanks are cut.

The front end of each of the-screws 80 isrecessed for the reception'of a tubular'workholder 79, having an annular series of teeth in this case,as well as in the construction previously described, the teethpreferably face in of the cutting-saw are arranged, so-that they a direction opposite to that in which the teeth may thebetter resist the operation of cutting, although said teeth may be of any suitable character. The tubular work holder or clam 79 is provided witha central opening for t e reception of a plunger 86,. the outer end of which is normally in a plane slightly beyond the crowns of the teeth, and said plunger is provided with a reduced stem'87, around which is placed a helieatcompress'ifonspring 88, tending normally to force the plunger outward for the purpose of forcing the blank to the interior ofthe saw.

The hand-Wheels 82, previously described, are intended to be manipulated by the operis always greater than .are to becut, andthe finishedbefore the-friction-disk moves from engagement with the belt, the latter part ;of the movement being idle, whilethe disk 'merely slides against the belt or band. This ator for the purpose of effecting reliminary engagement of the work-holding evices with the object to be out. After that, during rotation of the disks with the shaft 12 as a center, the friction-wheels 81- will on age a stationary friction-band 90 and will lie rotated to effect feeding of the object necessary to accomplish the cutting operation. The fric-. tion-band 90 is arranged to engage the friction-wheels 8-1, and one ofits ends is secured to a fixed point, such as a. hook or eye 91, while the opposite'end-is connected by an adjustable spring 92 to a bracket 93, so that the tension of the band may be adjusted as required.

'The several disks and shaft 12 may be rotated by hand or by mechanism'of any t e as, for instance, b providing the perip cry of thedisk 15 wit teeth to'be engaged by a toothed wheel or pinion- 94 on the countershaft, and said disks are rotated at a speed that is limited onl z) by the dexterity of the operator, the work eing. carriedon as fast as it is possible for theoperator' toplacethe the saw. At the right of the machine the shells between the successive pairs oftworkholders. lnithe operation of thismechanism a-shellor other object to be cut is laced by the workman between a pair of wor holders and 79, preferably when the work-holders are directly inffront ofthe workman. The

latter then turns thehand-wheel 82 inorder to force the work-holder 79 up into engage:

ment with the outer face of the shell, so that the latter will be clamped lightly between the two work-holders. As the several disks continue to rotate with the shaft 12 as a con ter the friction-disks 81 willbe turned by engagement with the stationary friction-belt 90 andthe screws 80 will be fed forward, thus forcingthe work inward against the saw'. During this operation the work-holders 60 are forcedback against the stress of the springs, and as the saws are meantime rotatmg. they will cut their way throu h the shell or other object and-will remove t erefrom" adisk of the sizedetermined by the diameter of the saw, the disk passing within the saw to be delivered-in the manner commonly employed in crown-saw machines. r

The limit. of feeding movement of the-screw is determined by the head. 83, whichoomes feeding movement is also is of value in case the saw is too dull to .cut its way through the disk or proves too hard or stubborn, as-it is termed in this art,,in,which case the feeding movement will IIO "into contact withthe hub of the friction-disk .81, and thuspreventsany further movement cease as soon as it meets the necessary resistance, and the friction-disk will slide against the belt or band until it reaches the end of the latter. I

When the disks leave the band, it is necessary to restore them to the original position that is to say, to open the work-holdersand this is accomplished by means of a frictionbelt 100, running over a pair of pulleys 101, that are driven by gearing 102 from the countershaft, the movement imparted to the friction-disks being the reverse of that given by the friction-band, so that the work-holders 79 will be withdrawn in order that a new shell may be introduced between them or a fresh portion of'a shellfrom'which one or more disks have. been cut, it being here observed that one of the differences between the modifiedform'of machine and that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is that in the modified construction the shells are released from the clamps at the completion of each cutting operation, while in the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the shell is-stillheld by the clamps and is manually released for a fresh adjustment.

-With an apparatus of this class the duty of the workman consists merely in placing the shells in position between the work-holder and effecting the;preliminary clamping ofthe same as distinguished fronrmachines of the ordinary type, where it became necessary to hold the shell until the cutting operation was completed. a

The invention may be, of course, applied to ordinary hand-machines where a single cutter is used and in such casesis of advantage in holding the work during the cutting operation.

' tubular saw, a

In order that the pearl surface of the shell may be properly presented squarely to the saw, the clamp member adjacent the saw should havelan extended bearing upon the shell'that is, it should engage the shell at a sufficient number of points around the sawto enable the saw to cut the blanks truly on the earl side.

' aving thus described the invention, what is claimed is l l .1. In a machine of the class described, a carrier, a longitudinally-movable stem supported thereby, a work-clamp carriage pivoted' to the stem, a pair of work-clampsmounted on the carria e, one of said mem bers being yieldable wit respect to the other, an operating-lever connected to the yieldable clamp to permit opening movement for the introduction or adjustment of work, and means for effecting the longitudinal movement of the stem.

2.- In a blank-cutting machine, a revoluble feldably-mounted workclamp through'w ich said saw extends a second work-clamp adapted to coact with the first in holding. the material to beflcut,

means for feeding the clamps to-. present the material to the saw, and'a spring forming a backing for the yieldable clamp'and tending to resist the feeding movement of both clamps.

3. In a machine of the class described, a rotary clamp-carrier, a clamp pivotally connected thereto, and means for automatically moving the clamp about the pivot into or out of parallelism with the axis of its carrier.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a revoluble carrier, of pivotally-mounted workclamps supported by the carrier, and means adapted to automatically operate at the completion of each rotative movement of the carrier'and move the clamps outwardto inoperative position. 5. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a revoluble carrier, of a plurality of longitudinally-movable stems supported by the carrier, a work-clamp carriage pivotally connected to each stem, workclamps supported therebyQa carriage-operating rod, and a pair of cams, one'acting on the stems, and the other on the several rods during revoluble movement of the carrier.

6. Ina machine of the class described, the c'ombination with a revoluble carrier, of a plurality of longitudinally; movable stems supported by the carrier, work-clamp carriages pivoted to the stems, clamps on each of the carriages, a rod having a linked connection with each carriage, an antil rictionroller arranged at the outer end of each stem and rod, and fixed cams for engaging the antifriction-rollers during the revoluble movement of the carrier.

7. In a button-blank-cutting machine, the combination of a rotatable tool, a shellclamp composed of a tubular member adjacent the tool, an opposed member, between which members the shell is to be clamped, and a yieldable shellositioning device cooperating with said 0 amp; with me'ans'for causing the tool to operate. on the shell throng the tubular member.

8. The combination with a revoluble saw, of a saw mandrel, and'a pair of clamping members, one ofwhich is tubular and adapt- .ed to form an additional support and gulde for the saw-mandrel during the cutting operation, and meansforcausing the saw to enter such tubular member to cut the shell, substantially as described.

9. The combination'with arevoluble tubular saw, of a shaft carrying the same, a col- Ioo IIO

- clamp, anda rotatable Work-clamp carrier,

through the tubular member.

said clamps; with manually-operated de "yieldable shell-positioning device cooperatmeans for normally holding the clamp in alinement. with the tool, said clamp being pivoted to the carrier, and being movable about the pivot into or out of alinement with the axis of the carrier.

11. In apparatus ofthe class described, a Work-clamp for engagement with one side of the shell, a yieldable shell-positioning device c'oacting therewith, a yieldable clamp adapted to engage the opposite side of the shell and force it against the first clamp, and a toolfor operating on the material while held'by vices for separating said clamps.

12. In a shell-cutting machine, the combination with a rotary carrier, of longitudi-. nall -movable stems supported thereon, Won-clamp carriages pivoted. to the stems, means for moving said Work-clamp carriages into or out of alinement with the stems, and. means for causing the stems to move longitudinally during their orbital movement by the carrier;

13. In a shell-cutting machine, the combination of a rotatable saw; a shell-clamp composed. of a relatively fixed member, and an opposed tubular movable member, and a ing with said clamps to cause the shell to present a plane face to the saw; with .means for causing the saw to engage the shell 14. In a shell-cutting machine, the com- 1 bination of a 'pair of shell-holding clamps having clamping-jaws; with an. auxiliary ieldin membersurroundim one of the b b jaws and forming an initial yieldable support for the shell, the opposed jaw having an extended bearing contact With the shell.

15. In a shell-cutting machine, a pair of clamping members having clampin -jaws,- one of thejaws being movable to and from the other; with a yieldable work-supportin member adjacent to one of the jaws and whereby the shell is positioned before it is clamped, the opposed jaw having an extended bearing contact with. the shell.

16. In a shell-cutting machine, a shell clamp member, a shell-positioning spring surrounding said member and coacting therewith and adapted to initially hold the shell in position for clamping; with an opposed clamp having an extended bearing contact with the shell and adapted to first press the shell against the'spring, and then firmly bind it against the first clamp.

17. In a machine for cutting buttonblanks from shells, the combination with a revoluble tubular saw, of a carriage, a clamp member carried thereby, a second clamp member also carried by said carnage and cooperating with the first clamp memberto hold a shell, means for feeding said carriage toward said saw, and yielding means adapted to impinge upon the second clamp member during its'movement toward said saw.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

. JOHN W. MILLER.

Witnesses:

F. W. MAYNAKEES, JOHN BAKER, Jr. 

